Microsoft tweaks new patches

TechWeb reports that Microsoft has posted revised patches to correct a problem users had in installing them. The patches were for vulnerabilities discovered two weeks ago. The tweaked patches apply to the Windows Messenger Service vulnerability in Windows NT, 2000,XP and Server 2003, as well as to a problem in Windows 2000`s implementation of the Windows Troubleshooter ActiveX control.

A Microsoft print office contractor has been fired for writing about his work in his personal weblog. The Seattle Post and The Age report that the contract employee, Michael Hanscom, photographed pallets of the new Apple Macintosh Dual 2.0 GHz G5 computers when they were delivered to Microsoft`s print shop in Redmond last week. A Power Mac G5 fan himself, Hanscom posted the picture on his personal weblog, along with a note indicating that "Even Microsoft wants G5s". Six days later he was fired over the security violation.

Mandrake Linux maker MandrakeSoft has released a new kernel for its 9.2 version, which had a tendency to damage some LG-based CD-ROMs. Some users attempting to install the latest version of Mandrake found that a reboot damaged their LG-based CD-ROMs. The Age reports that the cause of the problem was that LG CD-ROM drives are not compliant with the ATAPI specification (AT Attachment Packet Interface, an extension to EIDE (also called ATA-2) that enables the interface to support CD-ROM players and tape drives).

Educational toy maker LeapFrog Enterprises, looking to boost sales and tap the important holiday shopping season, launched its key hand-held game-player on Thursday. The company`s Leapster product, aimed at giving parents an alternative to Nintendo`s GameBoy system, is a device that plays educational games and interactive videos.